BMW's electric scooter

Munich maker takes next step towards sustainable mobility.

BMW's electric scooter

14 September 2011Chris Harris

BMW has unveiled a plug-in electric scooter at this week’s Frankfurt motor show alongside its electric i3 and i8 plug-in hybrid concepts.

The “Concept e” maxi scooter is the third model from the Bavarian maker to focus on "urban" or "sustainable mobility" – the latest buzzwords for downsized, environmentally conscious vehicles in congested cities of the near future.

This year’s Frankfurt show is dominated by this growing city segment including production versions of the Volkswagen Up, the all-new Smart Fortwo, Audi A2 and Urban Concept, as well as BMW’s own i3 city car, which is expected to be eventually joined by the smaller i1.

In the meantime, the Concept e will be BMW's smallest electric vehicle. It could easily go into production, given the German maker “aims to put a premium offer on the market in the area of electromobility in the foreseeable future.”

BMW's ?Concept e? maxi scooter.

Before the end of this year, the brand’s two-wheeled division will launch two premium vehicles in the maxi scooter segment, which combine the functionality of a scooter with the riding sensation of a motorcycle. Both vehicles will be powered by “high-performance and efficient two-cylinder [conventional] combustion engines”, BMW Motorrad says.

Although technical details remain scant, the electric scooter is claimed to have a “realistic” riding range of 100 kilometres between charges while matching the performance of regular “twist-and-go” maxi scooters, which typically take between five and six seconds to reach 100km/h from rest.

Charging requires a regular household power socket, which takes less than three hours to recharge when the battery is completely flat, according to BMW.

A concept wouldn’t be a concept without some visionary design features and the Concept e doesn’t disappoint. Instead of conventional rear mirrors, there are two video cameras integrated in the tail-light that project rearward traffic conditions via two LCD monitors in the cockpit alongside speed and other relevant information.

BMW says the funky concept’s exterior blends traditional Motorrad design cues such as the “split face” that runs from the upper trim section to above the front wheel cover and a single-sided swing arm to display a wheel design inspired by BMW “i” cars. Even the plastic panels mimic the i3 and i8’s design language.

Power is sent to the rear wheel via BMW’s “Paralever” driveshaft, which also doubles as a suspension system.

The Concept e is not the first electric-powered two-wheeler, with several brands offering zero-emissions city mobility. These include the likes of Honda, Vectrix, Yamaha and even traditional car manufacturers including Volkswagen and BMW’s own Mini brand.